


Reunions and Hair

by Veirtyel



Series: Nile's hair plus some team bonding [4]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen, Hair Braiding, Just a tad of family fluff yall, Reunions, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:40:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veirtyel/pseuds/Veirtyel
Summary: It's been six months since the whole family was together. Nile though waiting that long wouldn't be too difficult. She is an immortal after all and she had all the time in the world, but she found being away from the others to be harder than she thought.But Andy called them all together again, and Nile is sitting on the edge of her seat excited to see everyone one again. Especially Joe, cause DAMN did she need him now more than ever.AKA Nile is "predictable" according to Nicky and she really just wants her brother to do her hair again.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, both not center of story doe
Series: Nile's hair plus some team bonding [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862116
Comments: 5
Kudos: 221





	Reunions and Hair

**Author's Note:**

> So I know I said that "Quynh's Hair" was gonna be my last installment in this little series, but I got bored and realized I loved writing these, so why the hell would I stop? 
> 
> Also in this AU (I believe this is an AU? idk) Andy does have her immortality. Do I explain how? no. Do I care? Not particularly cause I wrote this to begin with purely cause I want them all to be happy and that means all SIX of them together again and immortal.

It's been months since Nile last saw Joe, Nicky, Andy, or Quynh. After six years of missions with only small breaks in between, they all decided they needed some time off, however long that was. Nicky was slightly opposed to the idea at first, not because he didn't need it, because he did. Nicky (and Nile too, although she didn’t voice it) had some worries based on last time they had a break. Booker had gotten involved with Merrick and Copley, and Andy almost quit things altogether. 

But things were different now. Andy had Quynh again, and Booker would never be alone, at least not on Nile's watch. 

"Baby's of the team stick together, Book," 

That’s what Nile told him, and although he rolled his eyes and grumbled something about still being a couple of centuries older, she knew he didn't mind being “stuck” with her.

So, in reality, it was less of a break and more like a well-earned vacation. No one had been alone either. Joe and Nicky went to God-knows-where, and Quynh took Andy back to Vietnam. She wanted to visit her homeland for the first time in almost a millennia. Nile had decided to go with Booker. It was the first time she'd traveled alone with the man since everything, and she wasn't particulalry surprised when she found herself growing closer to him. Booker was an old soul of sorts, but Nile found that interesting. He just knew things everywhere they went. Everything, even before he was born. He spouted random facts about this building or the history behind some random dish they had in a country Nile had never even heard of until Booker took her. It was nice, traveling around the world for six months with Booker, seeing new things without the looming presence of a mission in the back of their minds. 

She loved it, but dear lord, her hair.

The first months were great. For the first time, she got to wash her hair and twist it with a healthy amount of leave-in conditioner. Jer curls for once finally out and all-natural. No braids, just her curls. Then disaster struck about four months into their little vacation when they went to Australia, and the humidity really didn't agree with her.

She washed again, and Booker, bless his soul, attempted to help Nile put in some cornrows. 

_"Ow, ow, ow...Booker!"_

_"Sorry, sorry, I'm not Joe."_

So, Nile did what she always did when she didn't have any other option; Bun.

Of course, buns can look cute, so she laid her edges and wore her nicest earrings, hoops and all, and she looked good. She may be immortal, but that didn't stop her from taking care of herself.

But now she missed her braids. Six months without Joe braiding her hair felt unnatural, like she was missing something. She missed the way he talked to her and ran his fingers over her scalp, and that chuckle he made when she said something funny.

In fact, she missed everyone.

Thank God Andy called them all a week ago saying it's time to get back together. Copley has a mission for them.

So now Nile in the passenger seat of an old Volkstwagon Booker rented, driving to one of the various safehouses they had in England. They were going to meet with Copley later that day to discuss the mission he had for them. Since he needed all six of them, Nile could only assume it was a big one. Nile was excited, she missed everyone, plus she was desperate for Joe to braid her hair. 

"Here we are," said Booker, pulling her attention away from the window.

The house was one she hasn't been to yet. It was old looking; cobblestone lined the road and driveway. The house itself was covered in vines and had a very rustic feel to it. If Nile had to guess, she’d say it belonged to Nicky.

Nile and Booker pulled out their luggage from the back, two small trunks that held only a few things. Immortals traveled lightly.

They made their way to the house, and before Nile could knock, the door opened, and in front of her was Nicky, slight stubble on his face and hair falling just a bit past his ears. He grinned wide, Nile's smile expanding. 

Nile dropped her things immediately before wrapping her arms around Nicky's shoulder, soaking him all in. He squeezed her waist before pulling back. 

"It's good to see you, Nile."

"You too, Nicky."

"Hey, Nicky," Booker said from behind Nile. Nicky turned his attention to the man and smiled again.

"Sebastian." Nicky pulled the man into a hug while Nile went and picked up her luggage, heading into the warm home.

"Nile!" said a voice. Nile was met with the force of someone crashing into her. Arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. 

"Quynh!" Nile yelped, hugging her back just as tightly. Both women swayed a little as they laughed in each other's arms.

"Ah, I've missed you," Nile said as she pulled out of her hug, hands now holding Quynhs.

"Likewise"

Over the past three years, Nile and Quynh have grown close. According to Nicky, they had a “similar spirit”. 

"Hey, kid," said another voice. Andy's hair was also longer, although not by much. Nile could tell she had neglected cutting it for the last month or so.

Nile hugged her as well, albeit not with as much enthusiasm as Quynh, but it was nice all the same. When she pulled back, Andy was smiling. The break they all had seemed to have worked wonders on everybody. The atmosphere was good, safe. Now there was just one more person she needed to say hi to.

Suddenly, Nile was lifted off the floor from behind, and if she was anywhere else, she would have reacted violently, but she knew who lifted her as soon as she heard that happy growl.

Nile laughed when Joe spun her practically across the room, then let her down with a softly on the carpeted floor. She turned immediately to take him in. He looked the same, hair slightly longer, although not my by much, and beard only a little bushier. It seems they've all been neglecting their hair. 

Nile gave Joe a proper hug, feeling Joe's chin dip down in the crook of her neck. He was laughing, chuckling warm and loud as always. It felt like home.

"You look good, Nile," he said when he pulled back, eye wrinkling at the side as they always do when he smiles.

"Thanks,” she replied, a twinkle in her eye. “And if you don’t mind, I think it's about time I put it in my braids again." Joe immediately lit up, grin now a full-on smile.

Suddenly, Andy made a noise that sounded like a triumphant chuckle, and Nicky groaned into Quynhs shoulder. She patted his back, but she was laughing as well.

"What?" Nile questioned, confused by the range of reactions she just witnessed in front of her.

"Nicky and Andy bet what the first thing you'd ask Joe would be,” replied Quynh, hand still patting Nicky’s back. “Andy won.”

Booker laughed as Nicky pulled out his wallet and handed Andy what looked like a 50.

"Grazie mille, Nicky"

“Prego, prego, la prossima volta non lo farò. Nile è troppo prevedibile,” Nicky said, gesturing to Nile dramatically with one hand, the other on his hip.

"Hey now!" Nile defended, but she wasn't really offended. There was some truth to his statement. "At least I manage to keep all my money."

The room was filled with chuckles and laughter now. Joe walked over to Nicky, grinning at him while Nicky looked at him slightly embarrassed. He let him kiss him in the temple.

"It's okay habibi, I love you even though you're a terrible gambler,"

"I'd hope so, otherwise there would have been divorce papers a long time ago," piped up Booker, now sitting on the couch near one of the windows. Nicky tsked and left for the small kitchen where something was already being cooked.

"Careful Booker, I could easily poison your food," Nicky murmured loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"That would be a first."

"Really?" asked Nile, a little surprised.

"No," Andy replied but didn't elaborate.

Nile shrugged it off; she would ask Booker about it later.

"Anyway," Andy began, putting on her ‘boss’ voice. 

That meant the mission. 

"It's good to have everyone back together, but we have a mission from Copley. It's a big one guys, he needs all of us."

It's been a while since they've all been on one together. The last time they basically prevented a small war at the time, so who knew what this one had in store for them.

"I don't know all the details, but Copley will fill us in. Get ready, we're heading over there in three hours." Andy looked at Nile and Joe. "That long enough?"

Nile smiled up at Joe, then back to Andy, appreciating the time frame she gave them. 

"Yeah, that should work,” Joe replied.

Nile bounded over to grab her things, then took Joe's arm and pulled him towards the kitchen table, sitting down in the chair and pulling out her bun that she's been using for the past couple months. Her hair didn't fall. It stuck up as Joe played with it a bit before taking her brush to do his best to brush it out.

"Ah, I've missed this," Joe said.

Nile relished in the way Joe's hand felt in her hair. It was always so relaxing, his hands were rough, but in her hair, he was always gentle, never pulling too hard or forcing her into an uncomfortable position. She thinks it spoke to who he was as a person; rough looking on the exterior, but one of the most kind and gentle people she's ever known.

"What would you like," he asked once he was done brushing her hair out.

"Whatever you want," she replied, putting all her trust into Joe and his skills. 

"Ah, I love hearing that." Joe grabbed the pick from Nile's small bag and began the process of separating her thick, poofy hair. She felt him start separating her hair into a middle part, grabbing hair at the front of her head, and beginning the process of braiding it with the three strands he collected. 

Nicky had finished what he had been cooking in the kitchen. He came over and gave it to Nile who took it with a silent thanks, head tilted to the side from Joe’s brading. She crossed her legs on the chair and held the bowl in front of her, grabbing the spoon Nicky offered her. No words were passed between anyone as Nicky casually sat down and began sharpening his longsword, Joe's scimitar next to him, probably about to face the same treatment. 

Andy was doing the same on the couch with her lybris as Quynh and Booker went through their guns, checking magazines and making sure they wouldn't jam after a couple of months of no one touching them. 

As odd as it sounded, this was Nile's usual. Being around Booker was nice, but it wasn't the same as having the whole team, the entire family around. 

She sat there for a while, making small talk with Nicky until Joe turned her head, beginning the same process as before but on the other side of her head.

"So you gonna tell me what you're doing?"

"Nope," was Joe's simple answer. Nicky chuckled a little across from them in the other chair. Nile caught his eye.

"You look beautiful, Nile," he said, as he always did.

Nile smiled and closed her eyes, letting Joe finish while she relaxed. 

After about twenty more minutes, Joe finished.

"Done," Joe said, running his hands across the finished braids in her hair. Nile opened her eyes and took her phone's camera to look at his work.

Two thick braids ran from her hairline's tips to the sides of her head, to the back. They were tight and secure, and in the back, her hair was in a fresh bun, the braids wrapped around it as if they were holding it together. Nile grinned ear-to-ear.

She looked up at Joe, grabbed his forearm, and squeezed. "Thank you, Joe."

Joe smiled back. "You're welcome, Nile."

Nile then grabbed her stuff and went to get ready for meeting up with Copley, giving a smile to Joe again and thanking Nicky for the food.

For whatever mission they were going to so, Nile promised herself she would not get shot in the head and risk messing up her hair. Shoulder, whatever, she'd even be okay with one in the stomach (even if it hurts like a bitch), but she'd avoid the head at all costs. Of them all, Nile holds the record for the least amount of shots to the head in the past six years. Then again, she also holds the record for the most amount time’s she’s thrown herself of tall buildings. She's only ever leaped off a tall building three times, yet Joe still tells her she belongs in Assassin's Creed.

"Hey Nile," Andy called from the couch. Nile turned her attention to her before she could turn the corner to the bathroom.

"Bring an extra Glock and a sword, we might get into close combat."

"Got it, boss."

"And Nile." Nile turned again, looking at Andy and Quynh, who stood beside her strapping on her wrist wraps. "You look good."

Nile smiled, enjoying the genuine compliment she just received from the thousand-something-year-old immortal.

"Joe's an artist," she said.

Nile grinned before heading back to the bathroom. Once there, she took a look at her hair in the bathroom mirror. The braids and style were terrific and very good for the time constraint they had. She ran her hand over it, felt the small poof in the back of her head, and felt it was held together with a thick hair tie and bobby pins. Always count on Joe to have hair supplies ready at hand.

As she looked at her hair, appreciating having someone to do this for her, she couldn't help but think.

She's lucky to have Yusuf Al-Kaysani in her life.

**Author's Note:**

> Translation (I used google translate so...you know):  
> Prego, prego, la prossima volta non lo farò. Nile è troppo prevedibile - You're welcome, you're welcome, next time I won't. Nile is too predictable.


End file.
